Takeshi Ikenaga is a Professor at Waseda University’s School of Fundamental Science and Engineering and Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems . He earned his Ph.D. in Information & Computer Science from Waseda University in 2001, following B.E. and M.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering (1988–1990). His career spans roles at NTT LSI Laboratories (1990–2002), Kitakyushu Foundation for Advancement of Industry, Science and Technology (FAIS) (1999–2002), and visiting researcher at the University of Massachusetts (1999–2000). Research Interests : Application-specific SoCs for video/image processing, including compression (H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC), filters (super-resolution, noise reduction), recognition systems (feature detection, object tracking), and communication (UWB, LDPC). He also works on many-core processor design, ultra-low-delay vision systems, and sports analytics (volleyball, figure skating) with real-time 3D pose estimation and ball tracking. Awards : Recipient of the Furukawa Sansui Award (Waseda University, 1988) IEICE Research Encouragement Award (1992) Multiple Best Paper/Presentation Awards (2006–2022) at conferences including DAC/ISSCC, LSI IP Design, ISOCC, ISPACS, and CVIT APSIPA Distinguished Lecturer Certificate (2015) Waseda University Presidential Teaching Award (2020)
Alan Bovik is the Cockrell Family Regents Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering. He also holds positions at The Institute for Neurosciences and serves as Director of the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE). With a career spanning over three decades at UT Austin, he has progressed from Assistant Professor (1984-1988) to Associate Professor (1988-1994) to his current position as Full Professor (1994-present). Dr. Bovik received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1984 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Professor Bovik's research focuses on image and video quality assessment, visual perception, and digital media processing. He is renowned for developing groundbreaking algorithms including the Structural Similarity (SSIM) index, Visual Information Fidelity (VIF), and various blind quality assessment models like BRISQUE and NIQE. His work bridges engineering and neuroscience, creating perception-based models that optimize visual media delivery while reducing bandwidth consumption. These innovations have had profound industry impact, with his algorithms processing a significant proportion of global internet video traffic. His recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in perceptual quality assessment, with increasing focus on AI-generated content, high dynamic range (HDR) video, and novel applications in medical imaging. The research shows a clear trajectory toward more sophisticated, neural network-based quality metrics that better align with human visual perception across diverse content types. Professor Bovik has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to the field: John Fritz Medal (2024) IEEE Edison Medal (2022) IAMB BaM Award (2022) Elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering (2022) Technology and Engineering Emmy Award (2021) IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Processing (2019) Progress Medal from The Royal Photographic Society (2019) Named Honorary Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (2019) Primetime Emmy Award (2015) Edwin H. Land Medal from The Optical Society (2017) As Director of the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE), Professor Bovik has secured substantial research funding from organizations including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Standards and Technologies. His lab has produced numerous influential datasets including the LIVE Image and Video Quality Databases. He has mentored many successful students who have gone on to make significant contributions in academia and industry, though specific student names are not provided in the source materials. The Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE) under Professor Bovik's direction has become a world-renowned center for research in perceptual image and video quality. The lab maintains close collaborations with major technology companies including Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, ensuring that research has direct practical applications. LIVE has developed numerous influential tools and databases that are widely used in both academic research and industrial applications worldwide.
Sadaf Salehkalaibar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She holds an office in the EITC building (E2-416) and has previously held academic positions at the University of Tehran, University of Toronto as a research associate, and visiting roles at McMaster University, Telecom Paristech, and National University of Singapore. Her research focuses on explainable artificial intelligence, generative models, and information theory with an emphasis on rate-distortion-perception tradeoffs in video and image processing. Her educational background includes teaching courses such as Signals and Systems, Digital Signal Processing, and Network Security at the University of Tehran. She currently teaches COMP4190 (Artificial Intelligence) at the University of Manitoba. Research interests revolve around developing efficient algorithms for AI systems, with key contributions in learned video compression, federated learning, and privacy-preserving techniques. Notable work includes the M22 algorithm for communication-efficient federated learning and the NSERC Discovery Grant-funded project on data-driven learning efficiency. Recent publications highlight advancements in perception loss functions, Gaussian vector source analysis, and secure distributed hypothesis testing. She actively serves on editorial boards (e.g., IEEE Transactions on Communications) and conferences (ISIT, ITW). Awards include the prestigious NSERC Discovery Grant (2025). Supervision highlights 13 MSc students at the University of Tehran, focusing on topics like privacy-preserving systems and distributed learning. Labs/teams: Leads research group at University of Manitoba focusing on AI and information theory applications in multimedia systems.
Zixiang Xiong is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, holding the Robert M. Kennedy '26 Endowed Professorship II. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996. His career includes roles at Princeton University, University of Hawaii, and Texas A&M since 1999. Education: Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996 Visiting Research Associate, Princeton University, 1995–1997 University of Hawaii, 1997–1999 Research Interests: Focuses on machine learning, image/video processing, federated learning, network information theory, biomedical engineering, and communications. His work spans distributed source coding, genomic signal processing, and energy-efficient systems. Publications & Awards: Over 200 publications, including seminal works on distributed video coding and network information theory. Notable awards include the NSF Career Award (1999), ONR Young Investigator Award (2001), IEEE Fellow (2006), and the ECE Outstanding Faculty Award (2024). His research has led to patents in video compression and multimedia systems. Grants & Advising: Active in NSF-funded projects on coding theory and energy-delay tradeoffs. Advises numerous PhD and MS students, with over 50 alumni in academia and industry. Collaborates on biomedical imaging, remote sensing, and federated learning initiatives. Labs & Teams: Leads a dynamic research group at Texas A&M, focusing on cutting-edge projects in signal processing and machine learning applications. Collaborates with industry and governmental agencies on applied research.
Kede Ma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). He received his B.E. from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2012, and MASc and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Waterloo in 2014 and 2017, respectively. From 2018 to 2019, he was a Research Associate with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and New York University. Prof. Ma has been named to the Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate Analytics in 2024 and currently serves on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, and IEEE Signal Processing Letters. Prof. Ma leads the Multimedia Analytics (MA) Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research group focused on computational vision, computational modeling of human visual perception, perceptual multimedia signal processing, quality assessment, and multimedia forensics. His research spans computational photography, high dynamic range imaging and rendering, omnidirectional video analysis, camera processing pipeline design, and artificial intelligence safety in multimedia systems. His work integrates machine learning techniques including reinforcement learning, generative modeling, self-supervised learning, and continual learning for multimedia signal processing applications. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on image quality assessment, deep learning for multimedia processing, and multimedia forensics. His work bridges theoretical computer vision principles with practical applications in multimedia systems. The research trends show increasing integration of foundation models with specialized multimedia processing tasks, particularly in quality assessment and security applications. Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate Analytics (2024) Best Paper Award at IEEE International Conference on Virtual Reality and Visualization (2021) Best Paper Runner-Up at International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence Workshop (2021) Top 10% Award at IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (2015) Finalist for the Governor General's Gold Medal, University of Waterloo (2017) Spotlight presentation at NeurIPS (2022) Highlight paper at ICCV (2025) Oral presentation at ICLR (2025) Prof. Ma advises numerous PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the MA Laboratory. His research is supported by various grants enabling work in multimedia analytics, image processing, and computer vision. The laboratory maintains active collaborations with researchers at institutions including SUSTech, ZJU, and HIT. Current projects focus on advancing image quality assessment methodologies, developing more robust deep learning techniques for multimedia forensics, and exploring new approaches to HDR imaging and omnidirectional video processing. The Multimedia Analytics Laboratory maintains a strong focus on both theoretical foundations and practical applications of multimedia processing. Current research directions include integrating large language models with image quality assessment, developing more robust deepfake detection methods, and advancing techniques for continual learning in multimedia applications. The lab emphasizes rigorous evaluation methodologies and maintains multiple datasets for multimedia quality assessment research.
Christian Timmerer is a Professor at the Institute of Information Technology, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. His research focuses on adaptive video streaming , energy efficiency , MPEG standardization , and quality of experience (QoE) , with significant contributions to HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS), multi-codec optimization, and immersive media systems. Email: christian.timmerer@aau.at Office Hours: Monday 3:00-4:00 PM (by appointment) Projects: CD-Labor ATHENA, GAIA, SPIRIT His research integrates machine learning and generative AI to enhance video encoding, super-resolution, and voice dubbing, while prioritizing sustainability through energy-aware algorithms and open-source tools like GREEM and VEED. Current work emphasizes latency reduction and dynamic bitrate adaptation in live streaming environments. Recent publications address VVC optimization , multi-resolution encoding , and perceptual quality modeling , reflecting interdisciplinary efforts in networking , computer vision , and human-computer interaction . Awards include leading funded projects on adaptive streaming and green video systems.
Prof. Dr. Aljosa Smolic is a Professor and Co-Head of the Immersive Realities Research Lab at Lucerne School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He joined HSLU in 2022 and became Co-Head in 2023. Previously, he served as SFI Research Professor at Trinity College Dublin (2016-2021) where he led the V-SENSE group in visual computing, combining computer vision, graphics, and media technology. His career includes positions as Senior Research Scientist at Disney Research Zurich (2009-2016) and Scientific Project Manager at Fraunhofer HHI (2001-2009). He holds a PhD from RWTH Aachen University. Research focuses on immersive technologies including AR/VR, volumetric video, light-fields, and deep learning applications in visual computing. His work has resulted in over 50 Disney R&D projects, publications, patents, and technology transfers. Publications emphasize VR evaluation, volumetric video applications, 3D reconstruction, and XR in education, frequently employing deep learning and computer vision techniques. Awards and Recognition: IEEE ICME Star Innovator Award 2020 TCD Campus Company Founders Award 2020 Multiple best paper awards Co-founded Volograms (volumetric video startup) and holds editorial roles including Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Image Processing.
Prof. Helmut Grabner is a Professor at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), leading the Visual Intelligence and Applications Group and the Entrepreneurship initiatives within the School of Engineering. His work bridges computer science, medical technology, and visual communication, with a focus on Extended Reality (XR), surgical training simulations, and AI-driven decision making. Education: PhD in Computer Science (Graz University of Technology, 2008), Master's in Computer Science (2008), and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Higher Education (ZHAW, 2021). Prior to academia, he held roles including CTO at Logitech and co-founder of upicto, applying computer vision in industry and startups. Research spans augmented reality medical training tools, NMR spectrum analysis via deep learning, and understanding visual engagement in advertising. Awards include the prestigious Koenderink Prize (2018) for contributions to computer vision. Projects include Immersive Education frameworks, bias-mitigation in venture capital algorithms, and surgical proficiency measurement systems. Teaching includes courses on Visual Computing, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning. His work integrates academic research with practical applications in healthcare, education, and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Rui Dai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science. Her research focuses on wireless sensor networks, multimedia communications, and video analytics for healthcare and surveillance applications. She directs multiple NSF and NIST-funded projects on perceptual-quality-aware video systems. Research interests include quality-of-experience optimization for video analytics, compressed domain feature extraction, and edge computing frameworks for intelligent surveillance. Recent work develops deep feature compression techniques, multi-camera fall detection systems, and quality-aware video distribution strategies for 5G networks. Publications demonstrate consistent innovation in video processing for resource-constrained environments, with applications spanning healthcare monitoring, public safety networks, and embedded vision systems. Current projects investigate metaverse communication challenges for 6G networks and PHP vulnerability detection through hybrid static-fuzzing analysis.
Mark Oskin is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering , University of Washington , focusing on Software & Hardware Systems . He leads the Sampa Group and collaborates on projects like HammerBlade and BlackParrot. University: University of Washington School: School of Computer Science and Engineering Department: Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering His research spans Computer Architecture , Parallel Computing , and Graph Processing , with additional expertise in Quantum Computing , Open Source Hardware , and Distributed Shared Memory . Ongoing work includes custom manycore devices for graph execution and open-source RISC-V designs. Past projects like Grappa and WaveScalar advanced distributed memory and dataflow execution. Recent publications include BlackParrot: An Agile Open Source RISC-V Multicore for Accelerator SoCs (IEEE Micro 2020) and Perceptual Compression of Video Storage and Processing Systems (SoCC 2019), reflecting trends in hardware-software co-design, quantum systems, and energy-efficient video processing. Best Paper Award , USENIX ATC 2015 IEEE Micro Top Picks , 2009 Mark has advised numerous students, including Amrita Mazumdar (IoT video compression startup), Brandon Lucia (CMU), and Steve Swanson (UC San Diego). He co-founded Corensic, a startup exploring deterministic multithreaded execution.
Detlev Marpe is a leading researcher at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), serving as Head of the Video Coding & Analytics Department and Head of the Image & Video Coding Group. His work focuses on advancing video compression standards, including HEVC (H.265) and its extensions. He has contributed significantly to tools like entropy coding, transform coding, and scalable video coding. His research emphasizes efficient compression techniques, such as adaptive context models and wavelet-based methods, with applications in multimedia communication and low-delay video encoding. Affiliations: Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications HHI, Berlin, Germany Roles: Department Head, Research Group Leader, and Adjunct Lecturer at TU Berlin (2013/14) Research Interests: Video coding standards (HEVC, H.264/AVC), entropy coding (CABAC), wavelet-based compression, scalable video coding (SVC), multiview video coding (MVC), and rate-distortion optimization. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical implementations, addressing challenges in compression efficiency, scalability, and real-time applications. Publications & Awards: Over 200 publications in top-tier journals and conferences, including IEEE Transactions and SPIE. Notable awards include the Chester Sall Best Paper Award and multiple Best Paper Awards from IEEE journals. His contributions to video coding standards have been adopted in global specifications like MPEG and ITU-T. Grants & Labs: Involved in major research projects on HEVC extensions, 3D video coding, and low-delay applications. Collaborates with industry partners and academic institutions globally. His team at HHI develops reference software and test models for emerging standards.
Dr. Min Sun is a Professor in the Department of Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Washington's College of Education. Her research focuses on teacher learning, AI/ML integration in education, and policy-driven educational reforms. She leads interdisciplinary teams developing AI tools like the NSF-funded Colleague lesson planning platform and the IES-funded AmplifyGAIN Center. Her work addresses inequities in education through policy analysis and partnerships with K-12 schools and EdTech industries. Dr. Sun holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Measurement from Michigan State University. She teaches courses such as EDLPS 302: Intro to Educational Policy and EDLPS 564: Economics of Education. Her research spans four key areas: AI/ML method development, AI-powered educational tools, data science training programs, and policy research with multi-sector collaborations. Notable grants include a $10 million IES grant for the AmplifyGAIN Center and a $1.5 million NSF grant for AI-driven math lesson planning. Her policy work emphasizes equitable education access and data-driven solutions. She directs the Education Policy Analytics Lab (EPAL) and collaborates with stakeholders to translate research into actionable strategies.
Alan Bovik is a Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, holding the prestigious Cockrell Family Endowed Regents Chair in Engineering. He serves as Director of the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE) and maintains dual faculty appointments in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute for Neuroscience. His extensive contributions have established him as a leading authority in visual information processing with global impact. Dr. Bovik's research spans multiple domains with a primary focus on image and video processing, digital television and digital cinema, computational vision, and visual perception. His work has fundamentally advanced the understanding of human visual perception, leading to practical applications in video quality assessment and image processing systems. With over 800 technical publications cited more than 75,000 times and an H-index above 100, his research has had extraordinary impact across academia and industry. He is recognized as a Highly-Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics, placing him among the most influential researchers globally. Analysis of Dr. Bovik's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on video quality assessment for emerging applications like user-generated content, high-motion streaming, and adaptive video delivery. His work seamlessly integrates deep learning approaches with traditional signal processing techniques to develop perceptually accurate models. There's a clear trend toward addressing practical challenges in video streaming quality, compression artifacts, and the unique characteristics of modern video content. His research bridges theoretical foundations with real-world applications, making significant contributions to both academic understanding and industry standards. Dr. Bovik's exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards: IEEE Fourier Award (2019) for seminal contributions to perception-based image and video processing Edwin H. Land Medal (2017) from The Optical Society Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development (2015) Norbert Wiener Society Award (2013) Claude Shannon / Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award (2005) Multiple best paper awards from IEEE, EURASIP, and Picture Coding Symposium As an educator and mentor, Dr. Bovik has guided numerous students through his leadership at LIVE. His professional service includes founding and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Image Processing (1996-2002) and chairing the inaugural IEEE International Conference on Image Processing in 1994. His industry impact is substantial, evidenced by his Primetime Emmy Award and frequent consultation with major institutions. Dr. Bovik is also a registered Professional Engineer in Texas, demonstrating his practical engineering expertise alongside theoretical contributions. Dr. Bovik leads the Laboratory for Image and Video Engineering (LIVE), which maintains strong affiliations with multiple research centers including the Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG), Center for Perceptual Systems, Telecommunications and Signal Processing Research Center, and Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. These interdisciplinary connections enable research that bridges engineering, neuroscience, and computer science to advance our understanding of visual perception and processing.
Marco Buzzelli is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication (DISCo) at the University of Milan-Bicocca, where he also obtained his PhD in Computer Science in 2019. His academic career is centered around cutting-edge research in signal, image, and video processing with a specialized focus on color imaging and machine learning applications. Dr. Buzzelli's research interests span multiple interconnected domains within computer vision and image processing. He has established himself as a leading researcher in color constancy, with numerous publications exploring illuminant estimation, white balance algorithms, and perceptual aspects of color imaging. His work extends to video restoration, particularly addressing challenges in low-light conditions and HEVC-compressed video processing. Additional research areas include hyperspectral imaging applications for historical document analysis, food authentication technologies, and neural architecture search for various computer vision tasks. His publication record demonstrates a clear evolution from foundational work in logo recognition and saliency detection toward increasingly sophisticated approaches to color science and video processing. Recent work shows strong emphasis on uncertainty estimation in color constancy, Bayesian optimization for night photography, and multimodal approaches combining spectral information with traditional RGB imaging. His research often bridges theoretical advances with practical applications across diverse domains including cultural heritage preservation, food safety, and computational photography. As an active ELLIS member, Dr. Buzzelli maintains significant European collaborations with institutions including Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Université Jean Monnet, and Universidad de Granada. His research group participates in major challenges such as the NTIRE series on night photography rendering and spectral recovery, contributing both methodological innovations and comprehensive surveys of the field. His laboratory work focuses on developing practical imaging solutions with real-world applications, particularly evident in projects addressing food authentication, historical document analysis, and vision-based monitoring systems. The integration of traditional image processing techniques with modern deep learning approaches characterizes his methodological approach across multiple research domains.
Peter Lambert is a full-time Associate Professor at Ghent University – imec (Belgium), affiliated with the Internet Technology and Data Science Lab (IDLab) where he coordinates the MEDIA research team since 2013. His academic background includes a Master's degree in Science (Mathematics) and Applied Informatics from Ghent University, followed by a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the same institution in 2007. Prior to his current role, he served as a Technology Developer at Ghent University (2010-2013). Lambert's research focuses on: Multimedia signal processing and visual communication systems Computer graphics and computational geometry Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies Video compression and perceptual quality assessment Multimedia security and digital watermarking His recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong emphasis on real-time multimedia systems, VR/AR applications, perceptual quality metrics, and multimedia security. Research trends include deep learning-based video forensics, light field rendering optimizations, perceptual hashing techniques, and adaptive video streaming solutions. As leader of the IDLab-MEDIA team, Lambert oversees research on emerging visual media formats with applications in immersive experiences. The team develops technologies like OpenDIBR (real-time light field renderer) and maintains datasets such as SILVR (Synthetic Immersive Large-Volume Plenoptic Dataset).
